History in a Tux: Laughs, Lessons, and ‘What’s My Line?’
In this post, I delve into part of the fascinating world of cultural history and television shows.
If you could be a time traveler, would you choose to go forward or backward in time? Would your curiosity about the future lead you to explore what’s to come, or would your desire for justice push you to visit the past to right wrongs for yourself and others? Have you ever felt like you were born in the wrong era? Perhaps you think you should have lived during the time of Jesus, in Jane Austen’s England, or the Roaring Twenties?
Did you know that even we history professors occasionally binge-watch our favorite TV shows? Today, I invite you to join me in a binge-watching session as we explore some cultural history together. I’ll recommend what I believe is one of the best television series that provides us with a glimpse of genuine history from its time—one that may not make us want to live then, but offers plenty to discuss and consider how it fits into our own stories. It certainly is part of my story—though I am an old guy! I’ll share at least three observations and possibly some additional insights as well.
What’s My Line?
Harry and John, but who is that guy in the middle?
Look, I don’t believe I was born in the wrong era. You and I came into this world exactly when we were meant to. While it’s common to long for another time, sometimes we wish to escape painful experiences, rejections, disappointments, and fears. Entertainment can temporarily transport us to different times and places.
Books do this, and so do classic television shows from earlier generations. Historians need breaks just like everyone else; however, I’ve discovered that I never quite lose my historian’s curiosity. Novels and TV shows set in the past often tell us more about the time they were created than about the era they depict. For instance, the comedy series M*A*S*H* was more reflective of the 1960s than the Korean War, just as Hogan’s Heroes is more about the 1960s than World War II. This anachronistic tendency is why quality shows that unapologetically represent their own time are such treasures. Two examples come to mind: one is the 1970s comedy about New York City policemen, Barney Miller, which I could discuss in a future discussion, and the other is a panel show from the 1950s and 1960s called What’s My Line? I want to share some historically significant insights about what life was like in the 1950s, based on the experiences of both mid-range celebrities and average contestants who appeared as “challengers” on the show.
Let’s set the stage. A historian must first acknowledge their personal biases. Although our perceptions of the 1950s are evolving, American culture has had a complex relationship with that era for a long time. Common images include stay-at-home moms, simplicity, postwar prosperity as the last standing nation, a grandfatherly president, and a culture of conformity. We might be surprised by the stricter gender roles and the overshadowing societal issues, such as the Cold War, the threat of nuclear weapons, segregation, and the groups that did not benefit from the economic and cultural boom of that time. I’ll highlight some of these nuances in this iconic TV panel game show.
What’s My Line? premiered on CBS in 1950 and is often regarded as the most incredible creation of the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman game show development team. Bennett Cerf, a Random House publisher and storyteller, summarized it well: “A panel of four people tried to determine the occupations of contestants by asking them questions that they could answer with a Yes or No. A special feature of the show was the appearance of the Mystery Guest—always a well-known person whom the panelists attempted to identify while blindfolded.” Cerf noted that the show “went viral,” in a sense, and attributed its success to the relatable and likable personalities of the panelists and moderator, which made audiences feel as if they were part of the family. I can personally attest to this sense of belonging; my wife and I watch these episodes regularly, and despite the generational gap, we feel as if the show’s regulars are part of our extended family.
However, there are surprising elements within the show that suggest we need a more comprehensive historical analysis to understand the era fully. While media analysts and popular writers have reflected on it, 70 years later provides a suitable timeframe for historians to begin accurately assessing it. We are often quick to judge individuals from earlier times based on contemporary values; our assessment may inflate our sense of self-approval, but our perceptions can sometimes be mere “straw men”—figments of our imagination—until we weigh them against historical evidence. Therefore, let me share my three surprising takeaways from binge-watching “What’s My Line” reruns, inviting you to join me in this journey of discovery.
1. People dressed differently, more formally, in the 1950s. People dressed up, and both enjoyed it and respected those who did.
As you watch, notice the lovely gowns, hair, and makeup of the women, especially the celebrity panelists, but also the contestants. Some of the dresses and hats are laughable today, but dressing up was important. The men all wore at least suits and ties, and the moderator, John Charles Daly, and permanent male panelist-publisher Bennett Cerf wore tuxedos. Along with this notice, the men often remark that the women look lovely or even jokingly leer at a beautiful “actress” and rarely let an attractive woman contestant escape without a compliment on her beauty. There is a dark side to this “dressing up,” too, related to the second observation.
2. Notice how there were reactions to unusual appearances: how men in the audience whistled at beautiful contestants, and people laughed at overweight and “misplaced” contestants.
Wolf calls from the audience never fail to astonish me, as it would not happen on network television today. It’s politically incorrect, chauvinism, and would it surprise you that most of the people connected with this show and the network were considered political liberals? There is an even darker side. The audience would laugh, and the panel would insult anyone who had an unusual appearance or one that contradicted their occupation. Comedian Jerry Lewis lampooned a short, obviously overweight woman whose job was to market reducing pills. The audience laughed at an Army nurse who was a 6-foot-6-inch man. Lady men’s barbers appeared in at least three episodes.
3. The women were brilliant and outplayed their male counterparts.
Brilliant women who break the postwar mold are surprising, given the stereotype of the 1950s. But they were not just smart. Male counterparts and the audience accepted them and respected them. And when you watch, note how their real careers are appreciated in the introductions and by comments throughout the program. Here are two career women: Journalist Dorothy Kilgallen and actress/talk show host Arlene Francis. Ms. Kilgallen had no great physical attributes, but you might think she is beautiful, nevertheless. Arlene Francis was physically lovely and a master of double entendre. No panelist ever received more spontaneous applause than Arlene Francis. Even the legendary quip master Fred Allen and raconteur Cerf were no match for her. And yet, even these role model women made cultural assumptions about jobs more commonly associated with women and about women’s roles in domestic life. Still, these two women made genius Orson Welles seem incompetent by comparison.
Historians use these kinds of cultural clues to paint a more complex picture of society that goes beyond our assumptions. We forget how much people used to dress up. Without all the distractions that give life more options but limit the budget, we may devote more of our disposable income to how we dress. The whistling thing: let’s not bring that back. We don’t want to objectify anyone to express a desire for sexual conquest. And June Cleaver, step aside! Were sitcom women a stereotype foisted upon audiences rather than a reflection of where women were really at? Women certainly made emancipating contributions to winning WWII, and perhaps they were beginning to reap the societal benefits during a traditional time.
Sometimes, what happens off-screen can reveal more than social and cultural clues. It can even highlight political views. I will close with one of the great stories about What’s My Line? that most Americans did not know at the time.
It is the story of how an executive-branch appointee got a small measure of revenge on the President of the United States who fired him. I begin with three sentences of significant background information.
The biggest political drama of the 1950s began in the summer of 1950, when World War II hero Gen. Douglas MacArthur found himself at odds with his commander-in-chief as he led the American military effort in Korea. In April 1951, President Harry Truman removed MacArthur as Supreme Allied Commander in Korea for insubordination, specifically for underestimating the Chinese threat and exceeding his authority in responding when the threat became real. It is not an exaggeration to say that Truman and MacArthur couldn’t stand one another.
Fast forward five years. In 1956, America’s Greatest TV game show, What’s My Line, selected then-Ex-President Truman as its featured mystery guest during a special episode broadcast from Chicago in its seventh season. Television was still in its infancy, and getting an ex-US President to appear in such a playful setting was unprecedented and a bit undignified. According to Bennett Cerf, a WML panelist writing years later in his autobiography, At Random, Truman was all set to appear on the show when the producers placed a courtesy call to the show’s sponsors to inform them of that week’s guests. The response was shockingly unexpected. “Absolutely Not! We will pull our sponsorship if President Truman appears.” The humiliated producers had to go to Truman and inform him that he was off the show. Their ratings coup was foiled, and they scrambled to find a celebrity to replace him.
You see, the sponsor of What’s My Line? was Remington Rand, which made office products and electric shavers. And the Chairman of the Board of Remington Rand was a retired military officer named Douglas MacArthur. I am not Paul Harvey, but friends, that is the rest of the story!
